No Way Out
by greenelf
Summary: Ryan is in his seventh year at Hogwarts and could soon have the freedom he has always wanted. But when he gets mixed up in the world of Voldemort, Malfoys, and Death Eaters, everything changes. Takes place around the time of the Marauders. Please RR!


Disclaimer: I do not own anything. It all belongs to JK Rowling. I'm not making any money off this.  
  
Authors Note: This story takes place shortly after James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black have left Hogwarts. Voldemort has already gained a lot of power.  
  
A thick mist hung over Hogsmeade train station as the great scarlet steam engine rolled in. The golden letters on it that spelled The Hogwarts Express gleamed with the rain that had been consistently pounding on them for the last two hours.  
  
As the train screeched to a halt, the giant figure of Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, appeared. A moment later the train doors swung open and the station began filling with chattering students. The general mass of young witches and wizards headed out of the station and toward a long line of horseless carriages.  
  
A rather surly looking boy, his long black cloak billowing behind him, pushed his way through the crowd and passed an overexcited group of second year Hufflepuffs. They glared at him and muttered something nasty about Slytherins, but he paid no heed to this. The boy ran a hand through his dark curly hair as he searched for an empty carriage.  
  
This boy was Ryan Nigellus, a seventh year Slytherin and Head Boy. He came from a long line of witches and wizards, but only lived with his mother. Ryan's father had been killed by an Auror before Ryan had been born. He had been a supporter of the dark wizard Grindewald. Ryan's family included some of the darkest witches and wizards. And what with Voldemort coming to power, he knew he would be expected to follow the same path. The Head Boy sighed.  
  
Ryan's thought were abruptly cut short by the arrival or his fellow Slytherins, who were now crowding into the his carriage. Madelyn Nott, Regulus Black, Elladora Avery, and Charlie Meliflua all filed into the carriage. Elladora was grumbling inaudibly about something while Regulus was complaining about the first years not knowing their place. Apparently, some first year had insulted him and a teacher showed up the moment Regulus was cursing the offending youngster.  
  
"Its like they don't have anything better to do than bother us. Don't they have lessons to plan or something? It was some new teacher who gave me detention. When my father hears about this, she'll have trouble. Merlin, this school getting worse and worse each year. I wish I went to Durmstrang. I bet the teachers there don't give you a week's detention for using a curse," he complained.  
  
Ryan smiled inwardly. Landing detention for a week on the very first day of school had to be a record, even for them. Cursing a first year on the train was a really ridiculous idea. And Regulus wondered why he hadn't been a prefect.  
  
Of course, Ryan had broken the rules more times than he could remember, but he was hardly ever caught. So, although most teachers suspected Ryan and his friends for much mayhem that occurred within the school, they could never really be blamed. Ryan's record was almost spotless. Consequently, he had been chosen for Head Boy. This extra power advantage helped even more in bending the rules. Now he was even less likely to be suspected for anything.  
  
Finally, the carriages stopped. Charlie opened the door and got out, the others following his lead. As they trudged up to the castle through the thick mud, Ryan gazed up at the looming stone castle overhead, and felt joy sweeping through him. He was back at Hogwarts again.  
  
Everyone was glad to leave the damp and chilly grounds and enter the much warmer castle. Ryan smirked. Filch would be really pissed when he saw the muddy mess left behind by everyone. He leaned against a stone wall and surveyed the familiar hallway.  
  
Suddenly, Ryan heard a cry of outrage and turned around to see Jolius Bagman swearing at a grinning Peeves. Peeves was throwing inkbottles at various students while smirking with glee. Bagman had ink running down his robes, so it could be assumed that he had been a victim of Peeves' fun.  
  
"Peeves, you had better clear off, or I'll tell the Bloody Baron you're disturbing students," Rosalyn Prewett, the new Head Girl ordered. The girl's pale face was flushed with anger, but her eyes revealed how nervous she really was. Clearly, the Ravenclaw was trying to live up to the expectations of being Head Girl. Ryan smirked. He knew that Prewett's attempts were useless. The poltergeist was not going to listen to the likes of her.  
  
"Ooohh," cackled Peeves, "The horrid head girl." Just as he was aiming at Roselyn with yet another one of his inkbottles, Professor Marsh burst in, panting, as she was clearly out of breath. The Transfiguration professor looked ready to kill, and Ryan thought that she might be better equipped to deal with Peeves.  
  
"Peeves!" she screeched, "Get out of here this instant or the Baron will hear about this." Peeves seemed to consider this threat a serious one. He took one more throw at a third year Gryffindor and flew off, still laughing his head off.  
  
"Well," Professor Marsh barked, "What are you all still doing here? Come on, get in the Great Hall. The first years are about to arrive." Still muttering about Peeves, the students crowded into the Great Hall. Ryan and his companions all sat down at the Slytherin table.  
  
Soon Narcissa Black flopped down next to Madelyn Nott and they immediately began discussing how distasteful it was that the school allowed a poltergeist to stay in the castle. Ryan rolled his eyes. Really, he thought, those two could complain about anything. The Head Boy turned his attention to his right, where Charlie and Regulus were griping about having to wait with the feast until after the sorting was done.  
  
"Really," Charlie grumbled, "why can't they be sorted after the feast? It wouldn't make that much of a difference, and we wouldn't have to starve every singe year."  
  
"Oh, come on. You really can't be that stupid," Susan Perlin, a fifth year prefect interrupted in exasperation, "if the first years aren't sorted before the feast, then where, might I ask, will they sit while they eat?"  
  
"Hey Ryan," Charlie sneered, "it actually looks like Perlin thinks we were talking to her, doesn't it?" At this comment, Susan Perlin snorted in disgust and turned to face Dumbledore, who was now calling for attention. Ryan eyed the staff table as the Headmaster spoke and the sorting began.  
  
Ryan noted that there seemed to be fewer students than usual being sorted this year. He wondered if it was the growing threat of Voldemort that stopped people from sending their children to Hogwarts, but quickly dismissed the idea. With all the Death Eater attacks, Ryan couldn't think of a safer place than Hogwarts to send your children.  
  
Turning his attention to the staff table, Ryan saw that there were two new professors. One was stern-looking old witch in scarlet robes. There was something unsettlingly familiar about her. He tried to rid himself of the nasty feeling and turned to the other new professor. He saw a middle-aged wizard with chin-length brown hair sitting slumped back in his seat and already glaring at the students. This teacher was more to Ryan's liking.  
  
Ryan was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the food that appeared out of thin air as the feast began. He heard Charlie give a cry of joy. The sorting must be over, he thought. The Head Boy turned to face his friend Charlie.  
  
"So, have you seen our new teachers?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, the guy looks like he could teach us something useful, but look at the old witch. Seems like she's another one to favor the Gryffindors. Just look at those red robes. Might as well have 'Go Gryffindor' written across her forehead. I think we might have some fun in her class," Charlie added with a grin. Ryan knew that what Charlie meant by "have fun" was cause trouble and be as unbearably rude as possible.  
  
"Hey," Regulus suddenly commented, "she's the one who gave me detention today. Whatever class she's teaching, I'm going to hate it."  
  
The boys continued stuffing themselves with lamb chops, roast chicken, pork chips, roast beef, boiled potatoes, bacon and steak, Yorkshire pudding, and many of the other delicious foods served for the feast. Across the table, Madelyn Nott and Elladora Avery were discussing their new robes in very excited voices. Now that Ryan was fed and warm, he began to feel very sleepy.  
  
At last, all the food disappeared and Dumbledore stood up once again. The Great Hall fell silent.  
  
"Now that you are all fed, I would like to say a few words," the Headmaster began. "First of all, I would like to welcome our new students to Hogwarts. I would also like to welcome two new teachers who will be joining us this year. Professor Vorgovski will be teaching Potions." There was some clapping as the tall, forbidding professor stood up.  
  
"Professor Birch will be our Herbology professor." There was more applause as the witch stood up. "I hope you will welcome them into our school."  
  
"Next," Dumbledore continued, "I would like to remind you that students are not allowed into the Forbidden Forest. I would also like to warn first years, and remind many of our older students, that Dung bombs are not allowed in the school. A full list of forbidden items can be found in Mr. Filch's office. I believe that is it for announcements. I will not bore you any longer. Prefects, please guide first years to your house common rooms." Ryan stood up and turned to face Elladora Avery.  
  
Ryan stood up and motioned for the Slytherins to follow him. As Head Boy, he had to lead the first years to the common room. Most of the older Slytherins also followed Ryan. They did not know the password.  
  
Once the Slytherins made their way out of the hall, they turned left down a flight of stairs that led to the dungeons. Ryan had always liked roaming the cool dungeon hallways. It was so easy to hide anything in one of the empty rooms. Hardly anyone went into them.  
  
The dungeon hallways at Hogwarts were in fact a lot like a maze, once you went deeper into them. Only the older Slytherins knew their way around, and even none of them knew every hallway and secret corridor there was.  
  
Finally, after countless turns, stairs, and hidden passageways, the Slytherins stopped in front of a bare stone wall. Ryan could here the first year's confusion. They obviously didn't realize that this was the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Not a very smart bunch, he thought.  
  
"Parseltounge," Ryan said clearly and a stone door hidden in the wall slid open. He stepped into a long underground room with low ceilings. Several green armchairs stood in front of a crackling fire. The mantelpiece was very ornately carved. More couches and armchairs could be seen in the shadowy corners of the common room. Several greenish lamps were hanging from the stone ceiling. Ryan waited until the rest of the Slytherins had filed in.  
  
"Welcome to the Slytherin common room," he began. "For those of you who are new around here, I am Ryan Nigellus, the Head Boy. It is a great honor to be chosen for the noble house of Slytherin. For the past five years, Slytherin has won the House Cup and Quidditch Cup. This year will not be any different. We don not want to lose any unnecessary house points. When you curse the Gryffindors, don't do it in front of the teachers." There was collective laughter at this last comment.  
  
"The boy's dormitories are through that door and to your left," Ryan continued, pointing at a door at the far side of the common room. "Girls go through the door to the right."  
  
Ryan turned and crossed the large room to the door he had previously pointed out. He followed a corridor to the first door marked "Seventh Years". It was only once he had unpacked his trunk and had closed the long green velvet curtains that hung around his bed that Ryan sat down and started wondering once again about the new teacher, Professor Birch.  
  
He had the constant feeling that he had heard her name somewhere, that she was somehow important, but he couldn't put his finger on it. For long minutes, he sat there and hacked his brain, but he could not remember why he knew the name Birch.  
  
It was when Ryan had already decided to go to sleep that it came to him. All of a sudden, he remembered who Professor Birch was and why he knew. Horror swept over him as he realized who she was.  
  
Next Chapter: Find out who the mysterious Professor Birch is, Ryan's first encounter with her, and more. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


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